Antiferromagnets have attracted significant attention in the field of magnonics, as promising candidates for ultralow-energy carriers for information transfer for future computing. The role of crystalline orientation distribution on magnon transport has received very little attention. In multiferroics such as BiFeO3 the coupling between antiferromagnetic and polar order imposes yet another boundary condition on spin transport. Thus, understanding the fundamentals of spin transport in such systems requires a single domain, a single crystal. We show that through Lanthanum (La)...
Advanced microelectronics in the future may require semiconducting channel materials beyond silicon. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, with their atomically thin thickness, hold great promise for future electronic devices. One challenge to achieving high-performance 2D semiconductor field effect transistors (FET) is the high contact resistance at the metal–semiconductor interface. In this study, we develop a charge-transfer doping strategy with WSe2/α-RuCl3 heterostructures to achieve low-resistance ohmic contact for p-type...
A magnon is a collective excitation of the spin structure in a magnetic insulator and can transmit spin angular momentum with negligible dissipation. This quantum of a spin wave has always been manipulated through magnetic dipoles (that is, by breaking time-reversal symmetry). Here we report the experimental observation of chiral spin transport in multiferroic BiFeO3 and its control by reversing the ferroelectric polarization (that is, by breaking spatial inversion symmetry). The ferroelectrically controlled magnons show up to 18% modulation at room...
Achieving deterministic control over the properties of low-dimensional materials with nanoscale precision is a long-sought goal. Mastering this capability has a transformative impact on the design of multifunctional electrical and optical devices. Here, we present an ion-assisted synthetic technique that enables precise control over the material composition and energy landscape of two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals. Our method transforms binary transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), like MoSe2...
Founding Director of Kavli ENSI Paul Alivisatos Receives the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award
"Honored for developing the foundational materials and physical chemistry to produce beneficial nanocrystals and polymers with controlled size, shape, connectivity, and topology that underpin energy-efficient technology, optical devices, and medical diagnostic technology."
From top left: Scanning tunneling microscope images of electrons evolving into a single Wigner molecule (bottom right).
Research teams led by Feng Wang and Michael Crommie have taken direct images of the Wigner molecular crystal, a new quantum phase of an electron solid. The breakthrough may advance future technologies for quantum simulations.
Berkeley — Capturing and storing the carbon dioxide humans produce is key to lowering atmospheric greenhouse gases and slowing global warming, but today's carbon capture technologies work well only for concentrated sources of carbon, such as power plant exhaust. The same methods cannot efficiently capture carbon dioxide from ambient air, where concentrations are hundreds of times lower than in flue gases.
Yet direct air capture, or DAC, is being counted on to reverse the rise of CO2 levels, which have reached 426 parts per million (ppm), 50% higher than levels before...
"The Council of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has endorsed the NAE 2025 Nominating Committee’s[1] recommendation of Tsu-Jae King Liu, dean and Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, to stand as the sole candidate for the NAE presidency. NAE members will vote in March 2025 to elect a new NAE president to a six-year term beginning July 1....
A new process for manganese-based battery materials lets researchers use larger particles, imaged here by a scanning electron microscope.Credit: Han-Ming Hau/Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley
Omar Yaghi was honored for "groundbreaking contributions to the discovery and development of nanoporous framework materials, and advancing their applications in carbon capture, hydrogen storage, and water harvesting from desert air. Yaghi developed foundational design principles and innovative synthetic methods, creating two extensive classes of nanoporous materials: metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). These pioneering materials are now at the forefront of global efforts to tackle critical sustainability and environmental challenges...
